Dr Valerie KAPOS

Head of Programme, Climate Change & Biodiversity, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Dr Valerie Kapos heads UNEP-WCMC’s Climate Change and Biodiversity Programme. She has over 35 years’ experience in ecology/conservation science & practice, and degrees from UNC Chapel Hill and Washington University, St Louis (PhD).

Val’s research mostly focuses on tropical forests, factors limiting their growth, effects of fragmentation on their ecology and conservation value, and monitoring system change.  Decision support on forests and their biodiversity, tropical forests & land use in climate change mitigation, and M & E for conservation are key foci.

Her team's work on NbS includes spatial planning & decision support for REDD+ and EbA to benefit climate mitigation, adaptation, biodiversity and people's well-being and ways to scale up use, and improve effectiveness of EbA, including ways to leverage innovative finance and private sector involvement.